1st match Jan 7. New York vs Bay Golf club. New York benches native son Cam Young and will go with Fowler, Fitzy and Xander. They will take on Lowry, Wyndham and Aberg.
New York team opens as slight favorites (-115 at pinny, -120 at BOL).
Format is 15 holes of match play starting with 9 holes alt shot and then 6 holes of 1 v 1.
The NY team has the best player but the Bay team is stronger at the back and I think this format rewards the deeper team.
I agree I was just going to make a post about how I think the Bay team is value at +100. Not a huge play but will be a fun sweat!
Any thoughts on course (simulator) fit? My guess would be: tests skill less (good for underdogs), it’s harder to hit it offline (good for bombers), and the short game area won’t really test players (bad for Cam Smith, should he take his talents to the TGL in a parallel universe).
It probably is going to be harder to hit it miles off line because it is a simulator but I think driving accuracy could be important given a lot of holes are basically just fairway or water/OB/bunker.
But yeah this isn’t real golf so any differences in our measure of skill are going to be compressed especially when you consider the team alt shot and 15-hole format as well.
I enjoyed it. Gotta get the awful non-golf shit out of there. Don’t need interviews with random celebs. WTF was that intermission. This should be a tight 1:45. And I’m not sure I need the extra holes after the match is over. Felt too exhibition-y/made for TV.
RE the golf: it seems like the good players are still good. The strokes gained last night by each player roughly tracks their rank on DG. Rickie and Fitz in particular looked rough. I think distance matters a lot. Maybe they can tweak it with the holes they choose but there are some carries that Kisner and Billy Ho and maybe a few others will struggle with unless they catch it. Also, it definitely tests chipping but I assume those guys will all have that figured out by March.
How many total holes do they have? Will they be repeating all, some, a few of them each week?
Week 2 is Jupiter hosting LA. Tiger, Homa and Kizner vs Rose, Theegala and Morikawa.
LA went from -150 to -175 on the news that Tom Kim is sitting and Kizner will be in the lineup.
30 holes; 15 each week i believe.
